The Starlord and the Warlady
by Shadowsong1
Summary: The first follow-up to The Soldier and the Princess. Uploaded through Chapter 6.
1. Prologue: Trust Hope

The Starlord and the Warlady  
  
Disclaimer: Shadowsong no own LOTR or Aida. You no sue Shadowsong. Shadowsong own Leahnlah, Lissie Cairdal, and Stella. You ask and Shadowsong no sue you. You have question?  
  
Author's Notes: To explain the disclaimer: This is a Haldir/Original fic. The original character is Leahnlah. She is Aragorn's twin sister. She falls in love with Haldir, of all people. Lissie and Stella will show up later.  
  
Prologue: Trust Hope  
  
The two girls-really almost women-and the boy-truly almost a man-lay on the grass in a clearing in the woods of Imladris.  
  
"You win, 'Stelia," the elven girl said as soon as she regained her breath.  
  
"Tell me something I *don't* know," the boy muttered.  
  
"If I had something to throw, it would be in your face, Estel," the human girl said.  
  
"Then I am *very* glad there is nothing to throw, 'Stelia," Estel said. "So, what's the forfeit?"  
  
"Hmmm.let me think.Anaiyah, you go first."  
  
"Sure, dump it on *me,*" the elf-girl muttered. She blinked. "What time is it, Estel?"  
  
"Maybe an hour until sundown, why?"  
  
"*Damn!*" Anaiyah shrieked, jumping up.  
  
"What's wrong, Anaiyah?" 'Stelia-Estelia-asked, standing up.  
  
"Forfeits are going to have to wait. The ceremony, remember?"  
  
Estel smacked his forehead. "Damn, I *totally* forgot. Darevan is going to *kill* us!"  
  
"You better believe it," Anaiyah said. "The only ceremony more important than coming of age is marriage."  
  
Estelia shuddered. "Valar forbid *that* ever happens."  
  
"You don't want to marry?" Anaiyah asked.  
  
"Less talking, more running. Darevan's going to be mad enough at us as it is!" Estel snapped.  
  
"Your father," Estelia calmly remarked to Anaiyah as they ran, "is going to kill us."  
  
* * *  
  
Darevan met them when they reached the palace gates. "*There* you are. What kept you?"  
  
"We're really sorry, Darevan, we lost track of time and-" Anaiyah began, but Darevan cut her off.  
  
"Explain later. Run along, Princess. As for you two." He sighed. "I don't know *what* Milord was thinking, combining the ceremonies." Darevan muttered. "Come on, then. Let's get you two cleaned up."  
  
(A/N: And so it begins. What were they doing in the clearing? We'll never know.actually, we will, but not for a while. Anyway, to clear some things up: Anaiyah we met in SAP (Soldier and the Princess), and Estel we all know is Aragorn. Estelia is, in reality, Leahnlah, Aragorn's twin sister. The word 'Estelia' came from the word 'Estelio' (as used by Arwen in the movie The Two Towers), which means trust. 'Estelia' is the feminized version of 'Estelio,' NOT 'Estel' with an '-ia' added to the end to emphasize the fact that she's his sister.) 


	2. Leahnlah

The Starlord and the Warlady  
  
Disclaimer: Shadowsong no own LOTR or Aida. You no sue Shadowsong. Shadowsong own Leahnlah, Lissie Cairdal, and Stella. You ask and Shadowsong no sue you. You have question?  
  
Author's Notes: To explain the disclaimer: This is a Haldir/Original fic. The original character is Leahnlah. She is Aragorn's twin sister. She falls in love with Haldir, of all people. Lissie and Stella will show up later.  
  
Chapter 1: Leahnlah  
  
I shivered slightly, wishing I dared to make a fire. To sum my life up in two words: it sucked. I mean, it *really, really* sucked. I had spent the last twenty-odd years playing cat-and-mouse with various goblins, orcs, and other creatures like that.  
  
I stared up at the stars and tried to remember their names. When the names wouldn't come to me, I began to panic. 'Have I lost so much of my childhood?' I asked myself. I shuddered at the thought. I called up the faces of the six people who meant more to me than all the world aside:  
  
Elrohir, my eldest foster-brother. He always seemed to look down on me. But then again, he seemed to look down on everyone, and I *was* short. Besides, he taught me how to properly use a bow. That knowledge had saved my life more than once. Not that it was worth saving.  
  
Elladan, Elrohir's twin brother. He had a ready smile and was always willing to explain to me whatever I needed to know. A true sweetheart, and the best male friend a girl could ask for.  
  
Lord Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir's father, and my foster-father. I don't know exactly why, but.he was considered an extremely charismatic leader, and I knew why. He just let off an aura of confidence. And regality. Regalness? Whatever.  
  
My mother, Gilraen. Well, she's my *mother.* What do you expect?  
  
Anaiyah, Lord Elrond's younger daughter and my best friend in the entire world. She falls under the category of "best female friend a girl could ask for."  
  
And Estel, my twin brother. My beloved twin who had died that terrifying day twenty-odd years ago that began my endless cat-and-mouse game.  
  
But the question remained: who was that cat, and who was the mouse?  
  
I brooded on that for a few moments.  
  
Hearing a noise, I jumped up. I cocked my head, recognized the gait of goblins. By the sound of it, almost a hundred.  
  
"*Shit!*" I hissed. I made sure my hair-which *always* refused to behave-was secure and wouldn't get in my way. By the time I was satisfied, the goblins had caught up with me. I sighed, and drew my sword. Then I thought for a moment, sheathed the sword-with luck, I wouldn't have to use it-and got out my bow. "Gentlemen, a pleasure. Isn't this getting a bit old? That was the wrong thing to say, wasn't it? Oh, well. Shall we?"  
  
I began running.  
  
* * *  
  
I didn't *mean* to go into Lothlorien. I really didn't. I just saw the woods, and I wasn't really paying attention. I was kind of running for my life at the time. "Damn, damn, damn," I kept muttering. I shot over my shoulder every few seconds, trying to force them to keep their distance. It didn't work very well. I briefly considered cursing the living daylights out of them, but I figured shooting was enough. Besides, they'd probably just return the favor. Add insult to injury by cursing the living daylights out of *me.*  
  
Valar, what a cynical bitch I'd become.  
  
After a moment, I noticed something was wrong. There was no return fire. I glanced back. There were no goblins. I sensed movement before me. I crashed into an *extremely* startled-looking elf, was flung back against a tree, and lost consciousness.  
  
My last thought before darkness closed in was wondering whether the startled-looking elf would curse the living daylights out of me if I tried to do so to him.  
  
Valar, I really *was* a cynical bitch!  
  
(A/N: To clear something up: no, Estel is not dead. We all know that. Leahnlah-mistakenly-believes he is. Silly Leahnlah.) 


	3. Haldir

The Starlord and the Warlady  
  
Disclaimer: Shadowsong no own LOTR or Aida. You no sue Shadowsong. Shadowsong own Leahnlah, Lissie Cairdal, and Stella. You ask and Shadowsong no sue you. You have question?  
  
Author's Notes: To explain the disclaimer: This is a Haldir/Original fic. The original character is Leahnlah. She is Aragorn's twin sister. She falls in love with Haldir, of all people. Lissie and Stella will show up later.  
  
Chapter 2: Haldir  
  
After the impact, it took me a moment to get my wind back. It took another to get my bearings. And I *still* didn't how the impact had happened.  
  
With that in mind, I went to examine the cause of the impact.  
  
It was, undeniably, the strangest creature I had ever seen. I think it was a human. I wouldn't know. I'd never seen one. She-at least, I *thought* it was a female. Then again, I hadn't seen evidence of breasts.but still, I'd never seen a human before. I didn't know what distinction their females had from their males. And she could have had her chest bound, if she was a female. Valar, I'm confusing myself. Just leave it at that. The human looked like it-she? He? It? Stick with it-had definitely seen the rougher side of life.  
  
"What do we do with it, m'lord?" a lieutenant asked. I cursed under my breath. I hadn't thought that far. In theory, we killed trespassers. But I thought my aunt, at least, would be curious. And I wanted to know how it had managed to crash into me.  
  
"Contact the city. Ask them," I ordered.  
  
"Yes, m'lord." If he was confused, he didn't let on. He left to follow my orders. I studied the unconscious human. It was small, tiny, even, with brown hair. I wished I could see its eyes. You can tell a great deal about someone by meeting their eyes.  
  
"M'lord?" The lieutenant was back.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"The Lord and Lady want you to bring it to them. She, at least, wants to meet it." He looked shocked that the Lady would want any such thing.  
  
I sighed. I, myself, had difficulty imagining it. "Then we must do as they say." The human stirred. I glanced down at it. It had huge, beautiful gray eyes. I forced *that* thought out of my head immediately. "Bind its hands," I ordered.  
  
The prisoner held out its hands to be bound. Either it understood Elven-which I doubted-or it had been a prisoner before and knew the routine. I shook my head and went to see to my own preparations.  
  
* * *  
  
I bowed to the Lord and the Lady-my aunt and uncle, but I didn't enjoy being royal, so I kept *that* little detail a secret. A very, very closely guarded secret.  
  
"My Lord, my Lady, the prisoner you requested to see." I nudged the prisoner, and it stumbled forward and knelt. I bowed and slipped into the background. This was something I wanted to watch.  
  
To my shock, it began to speak in Elven. It had a sultry voice. I cursed silently. Its voice was no clue to its gender-high for a male, but low for a female. I forced myself to pay attention to its words, hoping to find some clue as to what its gender was and where it had learned to speak Elven-with proper grammar.  
  
It's name was Leahnlah. Which told me nothing. I didn't know if that was a male or female name. It was very sorry, it said. It had been running, pursued by goblins. It had run into Lorien by mistake. It had found itself no longer pursued, so it had glanced over its shoulder to see what had happened to its pursuers. That was when it bumped into me.  
  
I decided its accent was that of Imladris. Which told me absolutely nothing.  
  
I was jerked out of my meditative trance by the human's next words: it was asking my aunt and uncle for sanctuary! "A chance to get my wind back," it said. My uncle looked as flabbergasted as I felt.  
  
My aunt, of course, didn't even blink. She leaned over and whispered something into my uncle's ear. My uncle listened, whispered something back.  
  
Their pronouncement shocked me even more than the request: they would grant it sanctuary. Then I took a closer look at the human. It was clearly exhausted, and if it had been planning to attack us, it probably would have done so a while ago. If it could attack us. There was no harm done by keeping it here, and if it was an enemy spy, we might learn the enemy's plans from it.  
  
But that was thinking militarily, which I excelled at-and my aunt and uncle hadn't the faintest notion of how to do so.  
  
I wondered at their motives. I shook myself. It was for me to obey, not to question. Besides, there was prudence in keeping it here.  
  
Seeing that my aunt and uncle had no further need of me, I silently slipped away. I spent the rest of that night in a tree, watching the stars and naming them all.  
  
* * *  
  
(A/N: I do not think there could be a couple more completely opposite. Hope you enjoyed our glimpse of Haldir-Leahnlah comes back in the next chapter, don't worry. Oh, and to clear something up: Haldir's mother is Celeborn's sister. She and her husband have already left Middle Earth. Haldir chose to wait and join them later.) 


	4. One Last Run

The Starlord and the Warlady  
  
Disclaimer: Shadowsong no own LOTR or Aida. You no sue Shadowsong. Shadowsong own Leahnlah, Lissie Cairdal, and Stella. You ask and Shadowsong no sue you. You have question?  
  
Author's Notes: To explain the disclaimer: This is a Haldir/Original fic. The original character is Leahnlah. She is Aragorn's twin sister. She falls in love with Haldir, of all people. Lissie and Stella will show up later.  
  
Chapter 3: One Last Run  
  
The next morning, I woke up late. I stood, stretched and glanced around, for a moment unfamiliar with the surroundings. Then I remembered the events of the day before. I sighed. It had been a long day. A very, very long day.  
  
Figuring now was as good a time as any, I decided to get dressed and explore. There were, of course, certain areas of the forest I was not permitted to enter-I'd expected that-but I wanted to explore what I could.  
  
I walked over to the wardrobe, opened it, and cursed under my breath. There were *only* gowns, and they had all clearly been meant for elven women. Which meant that I would look like a scrawny adolescent given clothes "to grow into."  
  
I shook my head and selected a dress at random. I put it on, and glanced in the mirror, hoping the result wasn't too grotesque. I blinked in surprise. I actually looked relatively decent. Then again, you would look good in elven clothes if you were old, fat, and pimply.  
  
My evil, misbehaving hair was another matter entirely. I didn't want to waste time braiding it, and I didn't know what else to do. I finally settled on pulling it back, and began to dig in my bags for something to do so. My hand found a smooth, silvery metal thing. I pulled it out, wondering what it was.  
  
It was the hair clip my brother had given me for our eighteenth birthday-the last birthday we had together. I ran my fingers along the clip. Engraved on it were the elf-runes for "hope" and "trust"-our childhood names. I closed my eyes and bowed my head.  
  
I put the clip in.  
  
* * *  
  
It didn't take long for me to find what I had been unconsciously looking for and avoiding for years: a relatively large, empty clearing. I glanced around. Usually, I avoided places like this. Too many memories. So why had I come here? I hadn't been paying much attention, but enough that I would have noticed this place.  
  
So, why was I here?  
  
I shook my head and tried to walk forward. Something stopped me. I glanced behind me. "Dammit!" I muttered. "That's *why* I don't wear dresses!" I untangled it from the tree root it had caught on. Still muttering and cursing under my breath, I stepped into the clearing.  
  
I remembered all the times I had spent in places like this with Anaiyah and Estel. I bowed my head. "I'll never forget, Estel," I promised silently. "I won't let myself forget." I closed my eyes against the tears.  
  
I don't know how long I knelt there, white skirt spread haphazardly around me, regaining control and fighting my tears. I stood up, staring at the other end of the clearing. A slow smile spread across my face.  
  
I ran from one end of the clearing to another and spun around and around and around until I fell. Giggling, I picked myself up, and ran, stumbling slightly-from dizziness-and then I fell, giggling, to the ground.  
  
"I win again, Estel," I whispered. I opened her eyes and sat up. "Estel?" I stared around, looking for my brother. Suddenly, everything came back to me. Estel was dead. I would never see him again. I buried my face in my lap and fought tears again.  
  
At some point, I stood up. I considered wandering off, getting away from my painful memories. Standing there, I reconsidered. I changed my mind. Once again, I steadied myself at one end. "One last run, Estel. Then never again." I closed my eyes and bowed my head. "One more run."  
  
Once more, I ran from one end of the clearing to another and spun around and around and around until I fell. Giggling, I picked myself up, and ran, stumbling slightly-from dizziness-and then I fell, giggling, to the ground.  
  
"What are you *doing?*" a strangely familiar voice asked from behind me. 


	5. Chasing the Wind

The Starlord and the Warlady  
  
Disclaimer: Shadowsong no own LOTR or Aida. You no sue Shadowsong. Shadowsong own Leahnlah, Lissie Cairdal, and Stella. You ask and Shadowsong no sue you. You have question?  
  
Author's Notes: To explain the disclaimer: This is a Haldir/Original fic. The original character is Leahnlah. She is Aragorn's twin sister. She falls in love with Haldir, of all people. Lissie and Stella will show up later. In this chapter, there is some *lovely* Haldir-mockery.so if you are an advocate for pompous elves' rights, (can't see why you *would* be.) then you should CEASE AND DESIST to read this chapter. Just as a warning.  
  
Chapter 4: Chasing the Wind  
  
I had no idea who she was, but she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. And, living in Lorien for over two thousand years, I had seen many, many beautiful things. This beautiful creature, performing a seemingly pointless exercise, was nothing less than enchanting. She had very long, very curly, dark brown hair, and she was wearing a white dress. She steadied herself at one end of the clearing, completely oblivious to the fact that I was just behind her. I was fascinated. Wondering what she was doing, I decided to stay and watch.  
  
"One last run, Estel. Then never again." She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "One more run."  
  
She ran from one end of the clearing to another and spun around and around and around until she fell. Giggling, she picked herself up, and ran, stumbling slightly-from dizziness, I assume-and then she fell, giggling, to the ground.  
  
"What are you *doing?*" I asked.  
  
The woman shrieked and jumped up, spinning around to face me. "What do you want?" she whispered.  
  
"I would like to know what you're doing, if you please," I responded, smiling slightly.  
  
"Why?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"Is it a crime to be curious?" I asked, beginning to get annoyed.  
  
She relaxed slightly. Very slightly. "No. I'm sorry. I was.I was chasing the wind."  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"I was chasing the wind. It's an old game I used to play with my brother and our best friend. What you do is run from one end of a clearing to the other, then spin around and around and around until you fall. As soon as you can, you pick yourself up and run back. The first person there wins."  
  
"I see," I said, still rather confused. "But.what's the point, if you don't mind me asking?"  
  
"The point?" she asked, cocking her head, staring at me with startlingly bright gray eyes.  
  
I blinked. Where had I seen those eyes before.? "Have we met?"  
  
She grinned, suddenly. "Why, yes, I believe we have." She reached up and twisted her hair around her head.  
  
"You're the.the." I trailed off, torn between horror at the fact that I had actually found a *human* attractive and the fact that she had the most beautiful gray eyes I'd ever seen.  
  
"The human intruder you caught on the edge of the forest yesterday? Yes. You were asking what the point of chasing the wind was?"  
  
I came back to myself quickly. "Yes. What *is* the point?"  
  
"To enjoy oneself as much as possible without endangering the lives, safety, or health of your friends."  
  
"But what do you *gain?* It doesn't make sense."  
  
"Gain?" She cocked her head again, studying me. "Do you have to gain something for an action or game to be worth it?"  
  
"I suppose not." This woman was very, very confusing.  
  
"Do you want to try?"  
  
It took me a moment to register what she had said. "Are you asking me if I would like to chase the wind with you?"  
  
"Yes." She looked at me as if she was explaining something obvious to a toddler. A very, very *slow* toddler. "So do you or not?"  
  
Not only was she confusing, she was also very, very irritating. I wasn't exactly sure what to answer, so I decided to stall for time. "Your name is Leahnlah, correct?" I asked abruptly.  
  
"Yes. And you're deliberately stalling so you don't have to answer. It is far more than fairly obvious. And, while we're on the subject, what's *your* name?"  
  
"Haldir," I snapped. She was *really* starting to get on my nerves.  
  
She cocked her head-yet again-and put her hands on her hips. She smiled slyly. "You're still avoiding my question," she said wryly. "Are you going to answer or not?"  
  
By this time, I was *thoroughly* annoyed. "Fine." I stalked over to one end of the clearing. "Are you coming or not?"  
  
"You're fun to irritate," she said, and, with dignity, walked over to stand next to me. "Are you ready?"  
  
"Of course," I said. "Why do you think I'm standing here?"  
  
"Are you set?"  
  
"Yes, yes, just get ON with it!"  
  
"You are *so* much fun to aggravate.GO!"  
  
It was like nothing I had yet experienced. There was only one thing comparable to it, and *that* is something I do not discuss with civilized company. (A/N: Oooo.Haldir, you dirty-minded little elfy-poo.) I had never before run for pure pleasure. It was an interesting change, and not at all an unpleasant one.  
  
I completed the circuit and flung myself onto the ground right where I'd started. Breathless, I sat up and looked around for Leahnlah. She was leaning against a tree and looking very smug.  
  
"What kept you?" she asked sweetly. "Ooh.this *will* be fun."  
  
"What?" I asked suspiciously. This human had given me *one* too many surprises that afternoon.  
  
"Didn't I tell you? Winner gets to claim a forfeit from the loser."  
  
I glared at her. "You didn't mention *that* minor little detail.it would have been *polite* to tell me."  
  
"Haldir, love, whoever told you I was polite has no brain whatsoever," Leahnlah said, smiling. It was amazing how very *catlike* a human's smile could be.I forced myself to pay attention to what she was saying. "I've spent the last several years playing cat-and-mouse with goblins, which you would know if you had listened to my lovely plea for sanctuary from your Lord and Lady. Any politeness I ever had I lost a long time ago."  
  
I glared at her. "Fine, then. Do. Your. Worst."  
  
"Oh, don't worry, Haldir. I will," she said with her slyest smile yet. I began to regret what I had said. Aunt Galadriel always said I was far too impetuous. Oh, well. Leahnlah walked back and forth in front of me. She circled around me. "Got it!" she crowed triumphantly.  
  
"Got what?"  
  
"Nervous, are we?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Right.anyway, I've come up with your forfeit."  
  
"And what stupid human ritual must I perform for your pathetic amusement?"  
  
Leahnlah laughed. "You know, despite the fact that you just insulted me and my entire race, that *was* amusing.my amusement must come from being raised by elves."  
  
"You were raised by elves?"  
  
"Who did you think raised me, goblins?"  
  
"Well, no.I mean, I-you're deliberately trying to confuse me, aren't you."  
  
"No, I'm deliberately trying to annoy you."  
  
"Ah. Well, unlike you, I have duties to perform, so will you please tell me what my forfeit is, so we can get this tedious business over with?"  
  
"Ooh, the elfy-poo is being feisty.well, Haldir, I happen to *like* 'em feisty." Leahnlah said, smiling that *irritating* sly smile.(A/N: Why, *Leahnlah,* you dirty-minded little human thing.)  
  
"I will not dignify that with an answer," I said, with as much dignity as I could possibly manage, seeing as a human was defeating me in a battle of wits. A *human!* (A/N: Stupid elf-snob.) "Now, are you *going* to tell me what my forfeit is or not? I am losing my patience."  
  
"*What* patience?" Leahnlah asked sweetly.  
  
For the first time in my life, I seriously considered killing something for no reason except to SHUT IT UP!  
  
Perhaps some of this feeling showed in my face, because Leahnlah's smile slipped off her face. Finally. "All right. Do you want to hear your forfeit?"  
  
"I have been *asking* to hear for quite some time. Please tell me," I said, carefully forcing myself to be *somewhat* polite. I made a mental note to give Leahnlah a lesson in manners the next time we met.  
  
"Very well. Your forfeit will be very, very simple. All I want is a kiss."  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: *Damn,* that was fun! And the score reads: Leahnlah: Erm.a lot. Haldir: Zero. Zippo. Zilch. Nada. Niente. Goose egg. You get the picture. See ya in the next chapter! 


	6. The Price of a Kiss

The Starlord and the Warlady  
  
Disclaimer: Shadowsong no own LOTR or Aida. You no sue Shadowsong. Shadowsong own Leahnlah, Lissie Cairdal, and Stella. You ask and Shadowsong no sue you. You have question?  
  
Author's Notes: To explain the disclaimer: This is a Haldir/Original fic. The original character is Leahnlah. She is Aragorn's twin sister. She falls in love with Haldir, of all people. Lissie and Stella will show up later.  
  
Chapter 5: The Price of a Kiss  
  
I realized, the moment after I named the forfeit, it was probably a very, very stupid thing to do. Haldir looked torn between shock and fury, as if he couldn't decide which would be the appropriate emotion. I was banking on fury, since I had already gone out of my way to irritate him. Normally, I don't go out of my way to irritate people. I didn't even when I was a kid. But Haldir had interrupted something very sacred to me. I had just wanted him to GO AWAY. He hadn't seemed to want to, so I had set out to *make* him want to.  
  
"What?" he whispered. So I was wrong. He decided shock was appropriate.  
  
"Wasn't I clear, Haldir?" I asked sweetly. "I named the forfeit. Now you have to give it, or I tell the whole city that you didn't."  
  
"You do not play by any rules I know," he muttered sullenly.  
  
"Sulking, are we? I thought we'd *learned* I play dirty by now."  
  
"You are the single most irritating person I have ever had the misfortune of meeting."  
  
"Thank you, thank you very much."  
  
He blinked at me. "That wasn't a complement."  
  
"Wasn't it? You just told me I was irritating. That was what I set out to be. So are you going to pay the forfeit or not?"  
  
Despite the fact that I had never gone out of my way to irritate someone, I was enjoying this very much. Perhaps a bit *too* much.  
  
"Very well." He wasn't being confrontational for once. Instead, he actually looked nervous. He walked over to me.  
  
"You've never done this before, have you." A statement, not a question. Actually, I hadn't *either,* but I wasn't about to tell *him* that.  
  
"No," he whispered. It was amazing how *close* two people could get.I pushed thoughts about how nice his hair was firmly out of my head. "Have you?"  
  
"No," I answered, also whispering. Wait a minute.I thought I *wasn't* going to tell him that.it was amazing how perfect his face was.I wondered how, through the hour I was his prisoner and the half-hour we'd been here, I had managed to not notice that.  
  
He was just staring down at me. He cautiously reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair out of my face. "I have never seen hair with such.personality," he murmured, as if to himself.  
  
"Yeah, personality," I said wryly. "I would *dearly* love to see *you* try to take care of it.I wish I had hair like yours."  
  
"My hair is boring," he answered, smiling slightly. It was the first time I had ever seen him smile. I decided he looked better like that. Much less intimidating, for certain.  
  
"At least it doesn't take you an hour to get it out of the way."  
  
"No, it doesn't." I could have *sworn* he had chuckled.it was amazing how many shades of blue a pair of eyes could be.I gave myself a mental shake. I am *NOT* attracted to him! I screamed at myself. GET A GRIP!  
  
"Weren't we supposed to be taking care of your forfeit? Or are you trying to get out of it?" I asked scathingly, deliberately spoiling the moment.  
  
He shook himself. Literally. I could feel his hands shaking on my shoulders. "Right," he said. He leaned down. To make it easier on him, I got up on my toes. I closed my eyes. I felt a very slight pressure on my lips. The hands were gone. When I opened my eyes, he was gone.  
  
I stood there for several minutes, staring after him. I shakily touched my lips with my fingers. Maybe Haldir *wasn't* so bad, after all.  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: How's *that* for a sweet scene? Come on, everyone, one, two, three.AWWWWWWWWW!!! 


	7. Truce

The Starlord and the Warlady  
  
Disclaimer: Shadowsong no own LOTR or Aida. You no sue Shadowsong. Shadowsong own Leahnlah, Lissie Cairdal, and Stella. You ask and Shadowsong no sue you. You have question?  
  
Author's Notes: To explain the disclaimer: This is a Haldir/Original fic. The original character is Leahnlah. She is Aragorn's twin sister. She falls in love with Haldir, of all people. Lissie and Stella will show up later.  
  
Chapter 6: Truce  
  
It was almost a week before I saw Leahnlah again. I was bored, so I was wandering around. I hadn't been looking for her. I hadn't expected to find her. I *certainly* hadn't expected to find her crying.  
  
"Leahnlah?" I asked, to announce my presence. I had been thinking about her a great deal. I suppose I had been hoping to find her, to talk to her. Now was my chance. "Is something wrong?"  
  
She jumped. "What does it look like?" she snapped.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked hesitantly.  
  
She didn't answer immediately. She watched me for a minute, her beautiful eyes burning with fury. Then, very abruptly, that light died. She looked lost for a minute, then looked down and nodded.  
  
"Well, that's a start." I sat down next to her. "So, what's wrong?"  
  
She took a deep breath. "My brother," she whispered.  
  
That confused me. From the way she had mentioned him the last time, I had gathered they were very close. "What about him?"  
  
"We were twins. He.died.years ago. I guess I'm crying because I haven't had a chance to cry.until now."  
  
Ah. *Now* it made sense. "I see. At this point, I suppose I should offer you words of comfort. But words of comfort are absolutely no use in this case. There is nothing I can say that will truly help with the pain and definitely nothing I can say that will bring him back." That was probably exactly the *wrong* thing to say. Oh, well.  
  
She blinked at me. I don't think she was expecting me to say something like *that.* "How would you know?" she asked.  
  
I had hoped not to get into that. Discussing Tyrennafaile was not something I enjoyed doing. But she had just poured her heart out to me, so I guessed I owed it to her. "I had a close friend. My cousin. We were as close as twins."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"She was exiled. We're forbidden to mention her name here. She's worse than dead."  
  
"Seems a barbaric custom."  
  
"Yes, I suppose it is." We sat in silence for a moment.  
  
"Thank you," Leahnlah whispered finally.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For listening."  
  
I smiled. "It's all right. Thank you for listening."  
  
She stood up. "It was nice talking to you *without* having a massive confrontation."  
  
"I had a question for you."  
  
"What?" she asked, pausing.  
  
"Were you deliberately trying to irritate me last time?"  
  
"You'd better believe it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
She sighed and sat down again. "Remember when I told you that my brother and I used to chase the wind together?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I was kind of trying to make that a memorial for him. Trust me, it was nothing personal. You had just interrupted that. I would have tried to irritate anyone who walked in on that," she said, grinning apologetically.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"It's all right. You had no way of knowing."  
  
Again, we were sitting in silence. She was staring at her hands, her hair covering her face. "What are you thinking about?" I asked.  
  
"Well, you."  
  
"Flattering thoughts, I hope."  
  
She gave me her sly smile. It wasn't irritating this time, though. "Some of them. What are you thinking about?"  
  
"You."  
  
"I suppose I can't hope for flattering thoughts," she said with a wry smile.  
  
"Well, some of them."  
  
"This conversation is pointless."  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
"Then why are we having it?"  
  
"I was just about to ask you that."  
  
We smiled at each other. "You know, Haldir, you're not that bad."  
  
"Likewise."  
  
"Truce?" she said, offering her hand.  
  
"Of course." We shook hands on it.  
  
"Now what?" she asked after another pause.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Have you ever left this place?"  
  
"No. I never really wanted to," I answered.  
  
"I can believe it. It's beautiful here."  
  
"I know. We've done our best to make it so."  
  
Leahnlah giggled. "I'm sure you have."  
  
There was another silence. I was running out of things to say that wouldn't offend her.  
  
"I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time," she mumbled, then stood up to go.  
  
I grabbed her wrist. "No, it's all right-" I trailed of mid-sentence. She was studying me, her huge gray eyes glowing eerily.  
  
"Do you want me to stay?" she asked, her voice seeming deeper.  
  
"Yes-I mean-if you want to-well-" My thoughts were being perverse and having problems going in straight lines.  
  
"I want to." She was very close to me. I took her other hand and stood up. Her eyes got bigger and brighter. "I doubt your family will approve."  
  
"To hell with them. It's about time I did something for me." I couldn't believe what I was saying. I didn't feel that way.did I? At that moment, it didn't matter.  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: Ah, that was *lovely.* Eventually, of course, there will be angst, because she can't stay there forever.aw, poor Haldir.poor Leahnlah.this is, like, the Middle Earth version of Romeo and Juliet.yay me!!! I wrote it!!! 


	8. A Terrible Choice

**The Starlord and the Warlady  
  
Disclaimer:** Shadowsong no own LOTR or Aida. You no sue Shadowsong. Shadowsong own Leahnlah, Lissie Cairdal, and Stella. You ask and Shadowsong no sue you. You have question?  
  
**Author's Notes: **To explain the disclaimer: This is a Haldir/Original fic. The original character is Leahnlah. She is Aragorn's twin sister. She falls in love with Haldir, of all people. Lissie and Stella will show up later.  
  
** Chapter 7: A Terrible Choice  
**  
Over the six weeks I spent in Lorien, I met Haldir almost every night. He taught me the names of all the stars—ok, not all of them, but quite a few. The problem was, as time went on, I found myself more and more attracted to the damn elf.  
  
And then, something happened that changed everything. Or, rather, I met someone who changed everything. That someone was Lord Elrond's older daughter, Arwen.  
  
I had been sitting alone in the clearing where Haldir and I had chased the wind together when she found me.  
  
"You are Leahnlah, right?" a voice said behind me. I jumped.  
  
"Yes..." I answered looking at her suspiciously. I didn't know who she was.  
  
"Oh, good. I've been looking for you." She sat down next to me. "My name is Arwen. My little sister told me about you. A little birdie told me you were here."  
  
"Oh. It's nice to finally meet you." There was a kind of awkward silence.  
  
"Anaiyah also told me about the times you and your brother had with her."  
  
"I'm sure she did." I bowed my head, needing a moment to regain control.  
  
"Oddly enough, she seems to think that you're dead," I heard Arwen say from somewhere above me.  
  
I looked up. "Why would she think that?"  
  
Arwen blinked. "Well, you vanished. When Elladan and Elrohir and your brother came back—"  
  
"My—brother? But Estel is—" I trailed off. Could Estel really be alive? The idea was absolutely ludicrous, but Arwen seemed convinced...  
  
"No, he isn't," Arwen insisted. "I met him. I know."  
  
I studied her. "Really?" I whispered, hardly daring to believe it.  
  
Arwen nodded.  
  
"Describe him. Please," I begged. "I have to know..."  
  
Arwen nodded again. "Let's see...when I saw him, he was about five feet, eleven inches. He had curly dark brown hair that went almost down to his shoulders. His eyes were that blue-gray color that changed with his mood."  
  
That could only be Estel. "Thank you for telling me this," I said. Somehow I managed to be calm, though all I wanted to do was jump up and down and shriek with joy. My brother was alive! "If you will excuse me, I have to find him."  
  
Arwen nodded. "I understand. Good luck!"  
  
"Thank you. Thank you so much!" I walked, as quickly as I could, back to the place where I was staying to get ready.  
  
It wasn't until I got there that I realized I had a problem. A rather tall, gorgeous problem.  
  
Haldir.

I flopped down on my bed. I had to leave. I had to find my brother. Besides, I had resolved a few days ago that, if I were to stay, Haldir and I would end up doing something stupid that would destroy his life. I couldn't allow that to happen. I sighed and rolled over onto my back. But how could I tell him?  
  
I stared up. I was supposed to meet him in a half-hour. I'd tell him then.  
  
"The problem is," I said out loud, "If I just come out and tell him, he'll get all depressed and spend the rest of his life trying to figure out what he did wrong." I stood up and walked over to the wardrobe. "What am I going to wear?"  
  
I opened it and stared at all the dresses. "None of these are going to do...but there's nothing else..." I sighed, and did what I had done every morning since I got here: I closed my eyes and grabbed the first thing my hand found. I opened my eyes and pulled it out. To my surprise, I had managed to find my "remade" wilderness clothes. I studied them. They were actually almost the same as the originals. I had been worried. This was perfect! Now I wouldn't have to exactly tell Haldir...I could show up in this and let him draw his own conclusions...  
  
"I will find you, Estel," I whispered. "I promise."  
  
_A/N: Now we get our lovely angst! Ok, so it's not exactly Romeo and Juliet...but...oh, well...I tried... _


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